The doctor is in: Who is C N Manjunath, the latest from Deve Gowda clan in politics?

With his entry, Manjunath becomes the 12 member of Deve Gowda’s immediate family to be in politics.

BJP sources said Manjunath, 66, who was awarded a Padma Shri in 2007 (under the UPA government) for his public service, was reluctant to venture into politics, but was persuaded by his father-in-law. Deve Gowda then prepared the ground for Manjunath’s entry, holding extensive meetings with JD(S) workers, especially in Ramanagara and Kanakapura regions, which fall under the Bengaluru Rural seat, before the ticket was announced for Manjunath. The BJP and JD(S) are fighting the elections together as allies, and Manjunath is a JD(S) candidate fighting on BJP symbol as part of the arrangement.

Sources said that another factor that prompted Manjunath’s selection was the loss suffered by Gowda family scion Nikhil Kumaraswamy from the JD(S) stronghold of Ramanagara in the 2023 Assembly elections. The JD(S) is banking on Manjunath reversing this setback due to his image and BJP support, helping it hold on to its Vokkaliga turf that stretches along the Bengaluru Rural constituency.

Addressing the press after being declared the BJP candidate, Manjunath said: “Lots of questions have been asked as to why a doctor, who has experience in various roles — leadership, counsellor, administrator — is entering politics. I believe the revolutionary changes that have been implemented in this constituency in the field of healthcare (referring to an institute of which he is a part), should be emulated at the national level. We need a platform to expand this vision, and under the leadership of PM Modi, experts always get the opportunity to undertake such services. Which is why I’m coming before you as a BJP-JD(S) candidate.”

He added, “I believe in a healthy contest. I don’t believe in personally attacking anyone.”

Born to a farming family in Cholenahalli village under Hassan district, Manjunath graduated in medicine from Mysore Medical College, and went on to do an MD followed by specialisation in cardiology.

In 1988, he joined the Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, located in Bengaluru Rural, as a faculty member in the Cardiology Department. Since 2006, he has been its director, with the institute expanding its capacity by multiple times under his tenure.

Manjunath is credited with putting in place the practice of “treatment first, payment next”, and stresses that every needy patient be given quality treatment, irrespective of financial ability.

A low-cost technique of performing Balloon Mitral Valvuloplasty (BMV) in difficult cases is now popularly called the ‘Manjunath technique’.

He is also seen as the architect of the Jayadeva Institute’s Hrudaya Sanjeevani Scheme, under which around 6,500 BPL patients are annually treated free of cost for open heart and bypass surgeries, angioplasties, pacemaker implantations, among others. He is also known to have organised free of cost medical treatments for poor patients belonging to the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe communities.

The fight for Bengaluru Rural

Despite his popularity, Manjunath will face a tough fight in Bengaluru Rural, one of Bengaluru’s largest Lok Sabha constituencies, including eight Assembly segments — Bengaluru South, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Anekal, Kunigal, Magadi, Ramanagara, Kanakapura, and Channapatna. It was created during the delimitation exercise in 2008. Of the eight Assembly segments under it, seven are derived from the erstwhile Kanakapura Lok Sabha constituency, which was a Congress bastion until 1996, when former Karnataka CM and Deve Gowda’s son H D Kumaraswamy was elected from here.

In 2002, Deve Gowda won the seat defeating Shivakumar in a by-election. But in 2004, Shivakumar and his brother plotted a Congress comeback in Kanakapura by fielding journalist and research scholar Tejashwini Sreeramesh, who won by a margin of over 1 lakh votes, defeating the BJP’s Ramachandra Gowda, with Deve Gowda coming third. The ex-PM saved face by winning the other seat (Hassan) he contested from.

Since then, the constituency — with around 70% Vokkaligas, 15% Muslims and the rest OBCs and other marginalised groups — has remained a stronghold of the D K brothers.

Speaking to the media, D K Suresh said, “I welcome Dr Manjunath’s entry into politics. We have to see politics through a political lens. The ticket for Dr Manjunath against me has not surprised me. The JD(S) is in a bad shape and I see this as the BJP’s move to field an intellectual for the seat.”